<p>I have been accepted to Howard University and University of Miami and could attend for practically the same price. I'm having a very hard time choosing which school to attend since both have pros and cons. I want to see if you all could help me make my decision. </p>
<p>You don’t tell us what you want to major in but I assume you identify as Black. Both schools are nationally recognized institutions. The University of Miami is the superior academic institution. It has a good reputation among employers and generally. It has a reputation among its students as a fun place to go to school and still get a good education. But HU’s social life is nothing to sneeze at either, although northwest DC ain’t South Beach. In fact, both schools’ social offerings are reasons to attend. HU also has the federal government available for a diverse lot of internships and postgraduate employment; in fact, if you don’t get an internship or employment in the fed govt while you’re at HU it could be held against you by employers and law schools. Almost certainly, UMiami has the better dorms and food. It also has better facilities and resources. If you’re Black, on the other hand, HU will offer you experiences that the U cannot. You will learn of the African and diaspora experience from the men and women who write the histories of those experiences. You will learn those histories and literatures and arts from an African diasporan perspective. You will walk in the footsteps of the intellectual giants of the Black experience, and sometimes those giants will be your teachers or your teacher’s teachers. HU students complain about the way they’re treated sometimes by the staff and administrators but most of them come away with a deep appreciation of the opportunity they’ve been given to learn of the Black experience from the inside out. I cannot put a price on that for you. Nor can I put a price on the opportunity to be surrounded 24/7 by men and women of color who are financially, artistically, socially, and intellectually invested in the diaspora. Quite likely, you will never again have the opportunity in America to live in a place for four years where your skin color and the Black experience is beloved by almost everyone in the community. The great diversity of the African diaspora studies, writes, and researches at Howard University. The U might be a better academic institution, but it cannot offer a Black man or woman what HU can. I am not a HU student or alum but I know the school well because of my proximity to it. I have no horse in this race and I wish you luck with your decision. There are great opportunities at both schools; they’re different in some ways, however.</p>
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<p>Wouldn’t that also apply to a non-black student as well?</p>
<p>you are quite right, ucbalumnus, but the experiences quite likely would be different and differently meaningful for a Black person than for a white.</p>
<p>Wow! Would love to know if you’ve made a decision and if so, where you are going. I have the same school choice dilemma over here.</p>
<p>^ I agree with everything jkeil911 said - they laid out the choice pretty perfectly - but especially this:</p>
<p>You will learn of the African and diaspora experience from the men and women who write the histories of those experiences. You will learn those histories and literatures and arts from an African diasporan perspective…I cannot put a price on…the opportunity to be surrounded 24/7 by men and women of color who are financially, artistically, socially, and intellectually invested in the diaspora. Quite likely, you will never again have the opportunity in America to live in a place for four years where your skin color and the Black experience is beloved by almost everyone in the community.</p>
<p>This is a huge deal. It’s so spot-on. I went to an HBCU myself (Spelman), and there’s no describing how much this really means if you are a black student yourself. A couple of students in CC have asked me in PMs and I have a hard time putting it into words, but trust me, it’s truly meaningful and has stayed with me even 6 years past graduating. It’s an academically great education too, but there’s something beyond that.</p>
<p>But there’s a lot to be said for going to a culturally diverse institution as well, and UMiami is the better school overall. So it all depends on what you’re looking for. I don’t envy you for having to make the choice!</p>
<p>do tell, OP, what you decided, please.</p>
<p>I decided to go with University of Miami, it has everything I’ve always wanted from the college experience and more. But I’ll definitely still be at Howard’s homecoming haha. Thank you guys so much, your comments helped significantly in making my choice. </p>
<p>Can you detail a little how you made your decision since you sounded very torn and the two universities definitely have different “personalities”…</p>
<p>congratulations, OP. Miami is a terrific school and I wish you the best there.</p>